The History Of The Hula Dance

Learn How To Get Involved With Hawaiian Hula Dance

Generations of natives and tourists alike have been hypnotized by the rhythmic hip swaying of Hawaiian hula dance. This ancient traditional dance and art form was once used to retell Hawaiian history and genealogy before written records existed. It was nearly lost in the 1800s, however, when missionaries came to Hawaii and denounced hula dance, which Hawaiians believed to have originated from the gods.

Hawaiian King Kalakaua organized a group of hula dancers in an effort to preserve the dance. Although missionaries criticized King Kalakaua for promoting “paganism,” the presence of hula in Hawaiian culture today is directly credited to King Kalakaua’s efforts and encouragement.

Types of Hawaiian Hula DancingThere are two different types of hula practiced today. The first, hula kahiko, is the traditional, “old” style of hula dance, that which King Kalakaua helped preserve. Traditional hula kahiko includes not just hula dance, but percussion and chanting. Hula dancers will make their own percussion instruments and, often, their own costumes for performances. Hula kahiko teaches the hula student not only the proper dance moves and chants, but the history and culture of Hawaii.

Some modern halaus, or schools of Hawaiian hula dance, even require their dancers to learn and become fluent in the native Hawaiian language. The second type of hula dance, hula auana, was popularized and influenced by the influx of tourists to the Hawaiian Islands. Where the stories told within hula kahiko dances are advanced with traditional chants, in hula auana, the story is told primarily with the movements of the body and hands. In hula auana, music, ukuleles and guitars accompany the dancers, and the entire performance is more entertaining for those new to Hawaiian culture.

Outside of Hawaii, most halaus are primarily conducted in the style of hula auana. While dancers may still learn chants and traditional dances, the style is far more modern and removed from the original hula. Dancers may perform to Hawaiian music sung in English, and the culture of the dance is often glossed over, especially the farther east the classes are from the Hawaiian Islands.

The closer you get to the Hawaiian Islands, the easier it is to find a halau that specializes in the hula kahiko style. Traditionally, hula was a religious, ritualistic dance that was more about honoring the gods and goddesses than about entertainment. Hula kahiko dancers had a strict series of rules to follow while dancing with the halau, rules that are still practiced in some hula kahiko halaus today. Dancers were not permitted to cut or dye their hair; paint or cut their fingernails; have sex; or even eat certain foods. This extreme commitment was thought to increase a hula dancer’s connection with the earth, where the dancer’s bare feet derive their energy and power.

Hula as ExerciseHula is an excellent form of exercise. Its slow, precise movements require intense focus and muscle control to appear poised and graceful. Hula improves both coordination and muscle awareness, much like yoga.

Since the hula dancer spends a great amount of time in a semi-squat position with his or her knees bent, the legs, abdominals and stabilizing muscles of the trunk are exercised the most. While other forms of Polynesian dance, like Tahitian dance, provide a more intense cardiovascular workout, hula dance is an excellent low-impact alternative that will keep your heart in its fat-burning zone while you dance.

How to Find ClassesThe hardest part of learning to hula dance is finding an authentic class. Hula is a dance that has a long, rich cultural and historical significance; to practice hula without learning the meaning of each hip sway, arm angle and chant is to do yourself a great disservice.

As you might expect, the best hula classes appear in areas with a large population of native Hawaiians. Since the hula is a dance that originally stemmed from the Hawaiian Islands, look for a native instructor, preferably one who has danced competition hula in the Pacific Islands. An instructor who has lived in Hawaii is attuned to Hawaiian culture and will pass along the spirit of aloha to all of his or her hula students. And since major hula competitions require contestants to prepare fact sheets with the research behind their choreography and costumes for the judges, you know that a hula dance instructor who has competed is well-versed in the history of hula dancing.

You can certainly learn the hula from an instructor without these qualifications, but know that the hula auana you are learning is a bit different from the traditional hula kahiko style. You can always plan a vacation to the Hawaiian Islands for an intensive study of hula kahiko; your background in hula auana will certainly help you.

There are also hula workout DVDs available online. While these are more geared toward the exercise aspect of hula, you will still learn basic moves, names and choreographed hula dance. Again, look for a native Hawaiian dancer as the lead in the hula DVD, especially one with performance credentials in the Hawaiian Islands. For some, a hula DVD is an excellent introduction to the dance and culture in the comfort of their living room. For others, however, no DVD can replace the individualized training and correction an instructor can provide.

Preparing for a hula class is easy. You should wear a close-fitting tank top or T-shirt, and a sarong to tie around your waist. The sarong, in any color you prefer, helps emphasize the hula movements. You can wear shorts underneath your sarong if you like, so long as you are comfortable. Hula dance is performed barefoot, so wear sandals or slippers that are easy to remove. Some instructors have more explicit requirements of their students in preparation for class, but they will always involve these basics.

The most consistent and complete resource of halaus is found at Mele.com, which has a listing of halaus from all over the world. Unfortunately, many halaus do not have a strong Web presence, but talking with hula instructors directly is often the best way to obtain information about the halau. Always call and speak with the hula instructor before assuming a listing is current; a database of its size is certainly a labor of love. You’ll find that some areas have many halaus; if this is the case, speak with every instructor before you select a halau. For the dedicated, it is well worth an hour-long drive for a hula kahiko halau that practices several times a week; others with time constraints may prefer the more laid-back meetings of a hula auana halau.

Whether your hula dance instruction consists of mimicking the movements of a dancer on a DVD or an intensive hula kahiko halau, know that as you slim and tighten your abs, legs and buttocks, you are also helping perpetuate a rich cultural tradition. The hula dance is a dance of love, reverence and spirituality. Learning to dance the hula is to pay homage to the dancers who have toiled to help this art form survive over generations.

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